Great day to celebrate Canada after show of 'resiliency... triumph of human spirit': Redford

The living flag is in place at Shaw Millennium park, just before a helicopter flyover.

Photograph by: Natalie Stechyson
, Calgary Herald

It's a great day to celebrate being a Canadian, anAlbertan and a Calgarian, Premier Alison Redford told a cheering crowd ofthousands in downtown Calgary on Monday morning.

"These are the days when we talk about resiliency,and we talk about the triumph of the human spirit, and we remember why ourancestors settled in this province and the community that they built, and theway they came together," Redford said.

"Which is exactly what we did in the past 10days."

Redford kicked off the Canada day celebrations at ShawMillennium Park, one of three stops she made Monday in areas of southernAlberta affected by floods.

Just over 2,200 people gathered in the park by latemorning to take in the entertainment and be part of a "living flag."

Organizers handed out red and white shirts to those whocame out, and at 11 a.m. thousands of people were standing in formation in thepark. Two helicopters flew over to take photos of the flag as the peoplebelow cheered, waved flags, and sang the national anthem.

The spirit Calgary has shown in the past 10 days has beenan example to the world of what good citizenry looks like, MP Joan Crockatttold the crowd.

"We came together big time over the past tendays," Crockatt said.

"We showed the world why Canada is the best countryin the world in which to live, so go and party like you mean it and have ahappy Canada Day."

Calgarians Sheila and Jason Friesen and their sons Tanek, 5, and Rohan, 7, were donning red T-shirts to be part of the flag's maple leaf.

The two boys said they were excited.

"What have you been singing all morning?" Sheila asked Tanek.

"O Canada!" he quipped.

The family was not affected by the floods, Sheila said, outside of work and school.

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